Kings of Beer

This may sound odd, but I loved the carbonation in Aniversario 1 (7.5 percent alcohol by volume). Issued last fall at SouthNorte Beer Co.'s one-year mark, this Mexican-accented saison pours a glowing peach color, capped by a finger-width snowy head. Epazote and cilantro add a muskiness to the brew, softened by the addition of Mexican honey and what tastes like a spritz of lime.

Ah, but the carbonation! Those shimmering bubbles make Aniversario 1 soar, giving it a brighter and lighter personality than most beers with this much alcohol. A terrific beer with food, this saison would make a cheerful addition to your Easter table.

Random Question from My Editor

Q. Recently, you asked readers whether Brewery Rowe should cover spirits. What did you decide?

A. First, many thanks to the dozens of readers who responded. Your views were passionate , well-informed — and all over the map. Replies were almost evenly divided among a.) please, please add spirits, b.) don’t you dare add spirits and c.) go ahead, as long as the column is given more real estate in the Union-Tribune.

Bewildered, we’ve shelved plans to add spirits to the mix. As San Diego’s craft distillery industry grows, though, we may reconsider.

Pechanga’s Pints (and Sushi)

Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula may be California’s largest Indian casino but for people who prefer beer to baccarat, it offers a sure thing or two:

1. Saturday’s Sushi, Sake and Beer Festival will feature Japanese beers, imported sake and made-on-site sushi. VIP admission is at noon, 1 p.m. for general admission; unlimited food and drink will be served until 3 p.m. Tickets, starting at $75, can be bought at http:/www.pechanga.com.

2. Tickets are now available for the 11th annual Microbrew Fest & Chili Cook-Off, June 15. Again, there’s unlimited everything. Noon to 5 p.m. for VIPs who pay $65; 1 to 5 p.m. for $50 general admission ticket holders. For more info and tickets, see http:/www.pechanga.com.

Both events are fundraisers for Habitat for Humanity.

Brexit, BrewDog, Berlin

A reader, Thomas Freund, steered me to Bloomberg Businessweek’s January report on the Scottish brewery BrewDog. There, co-founder James Watt discussed his dread of Brexit.

“So much of the beer we make here ends up in France and Germany and Spain and Italy, so for us that would be doomsday,” Watt says in the story. “I might just go live in America.”

Or perhaps, to avoid the new tariffs that Brexit will levy on exports from the United Kingdom, buy a brewery in Germany. That, of course, is what happened this month when Escondido’s Stone Brewing sold its Berlin brewery and restaurant to BrewDog.

The Bloomberg story foreshadows this development: “Watt and his management team have been weighing several plans for dealing with a hard Brexit,” wrote reporters Edward Robinson and Thomas Buckley, “from asking European partners to temporarily share brewing capacity to building a plant in an EU nation.”

In an interview this week, though. Watt maintained there was not a straight line between the Brexit problem and Berlin solution.

“The Brexit will last for years, we cannot say that we are here for that reason,” Watt told Judith Langowski, a reporter for Der Tagesspiegel. “We want to use the location Mariendorf for Berlin and Germany and if it proves to be useful during the Brexit, the better. Later we want to supply Austria and Switzerland from here.”

Best of the Week

Judging by social media, Mikkeller San Diego is an under-appreciated great brewery. The Miramar operation has fewer than 350 Twitter followers, while Modern Times, a well-appreciated great brewery, has 18,900.

Show a little Mikkeller love Saturday at its third anniversary party. The day kicks off at 10 a.m. with the brewery’s running club going for a one-mile lope. The tasting room opens to Viking Club members at 11 a.m., and everyone else at noon. There will be a food truck, games, and raffle and, let’s hope, some appreciation.

Mikkeller: 9366 Cabot Drive, San Diego.

Words to Drink By

“Several cordials were likewise prescribed in the same ineffective manner; till the landlord ordered up a tankard of strong beer, with a toast, which he said was the best cordial in England.” — The victim of a tavern brawl receives a restorative pint in Henry Fielding’s “The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling.”